Our Services

The design of places, objects, and services significantly influences thoughts and behaviors, ultimately affecting mental and physical wellbeing. Cognitive psychologists have learned the details of what, when, how, where, and, most importantly, why particular experiences and outcomes are linked. Partnering with us as your cognitive-science consultants is an effective way to generate unique insights and powerful design options that make lives better and achieve organizational objectives.

How do room and object dimensions influence us psychologically? What about ceiling heights and floor plans?

How should design recognize and respond, in different settings, to our species’ most basic drives to survive and thrive?

How do shapes (seen or felt) mold our experiences? When should they be curvier or more rectilinear?

How should personality and culture inform design decisions? Are there times when they can be ignored?

We will show you how to use the cognitive science behind our physical experiences to create places where people flourish and to craft objects and services that humans cherish.

We know how to apply cognitive science research to create winning places, services, and objects—because we’ve done it.

Contact us to find out more about how we can add value to your current and future projects.

Dr. Augustin

Sally Augustin, PhD, is a practicing environmental/design psychologist and the principal at Design With Science. She has extensive experience integrating science-based insights to develop recommendations for the design of places, objects, and services that support desired cognitive, emotional, and physical experiences. Her Design With Science clients include manufacturers, service providers, and design firms in North America, Europe, and Asia. They book Design With Science's services again and again—applying cognitive science pays off. More information on clients and past work is available upon request.

Dr. Augustin is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.

Work completed by Dr. Augustin has been discussed in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Forbes, Huffington Post, Psychology Today, Prevention, Salon, and Self and design publications worldwide. She is an invited contributor to the online version of the Harvard Business Review where she has contributed articles on a range of topics, from engaging workplaces to design and culture. For Metropolis, she has written a series of articles about successful spaces titled "Places that Work." She has discussed using design to enhance lives on mass-market national television and radio programs.

As the editor of Research Design Connections, Dr. Augustin has written widely on science-based design for a broad audience of people interested in the designed world. She speaks frequently to audiences in North America, Europe, and Asia at events such as the annual meeting of the American Institute of Architects, the International Design & Emotion Conference, the bi-annual meeting of the International Positive Psychology Association, the bi-annual meeting of the Association of Neuroscience for Architecture, NeoCon/IIDEX, the American Psychological Association’s annual meeting, the Environmental Design Research Association annual conference, Healthcare Design, Living-Futures, and Applied Brilliance.

Sally Augustin is a graduate of Wellesley College (BA), Northwestern University (MBA), and Claremont Graduate University (PhD). She holds leadership positions in professional organizations such as the American Psychological Association (past-president, environmental psychology division) and the Environmental Design Research Association (chair, work environments network).

PlaceCoach

Under the PlaceCoach brand, Dr. Augustin consults on architectural and interior design projects for all place types – from workplaces to stores to schools to restaurants to healthcare facilities to homes to all types of private and public spaces. Her services include recommendations for: